Scottish Executive

Agriculture

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will advise remaining fruit growers to concentrate on production of high quality fruit rather than pulp following the liquidation of Scottish Soft Fruit Growers.

Ross Finnie: There are markets and supply routes for both fresh and pulp fruit. It is a matter for growers to decide which market they should pursue. The recently published Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture suggested that, in considering the options for the future, the Scottish raspberry industry may find some transferable ideas in some recent developments in the strawberry industry.

Central Heating

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for review of the central heating initiative.

Jackie Baillie: The central heating initiative will be reviewed over the summer period with a view to extending the programme and an announcement will be made in the autumn.

Central Heating

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the eligibility criteria for the central heating initiative.

Jackie Baillie: The central heating initiative is under review with a view to extending the programme to more people. An announcement will be made in the autumn.

Children

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to monitor the impact of the investment made through Sure Start Scotland.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the evaluation of the Sure Start Scotland initiative will begin and when the first report of its findings is expected.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has requested reports from all local authorities in order to ascertain whether its funding for Sure Start Scotland has been used appropriately.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to monitor and evaluate implementation of the Sure Start guidelines by local authorities to ensure compliance with the aims and objectives of the programme.

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will evaluate the outcomes for families of the Sure Start initiative in order to ensure the best possible delivery of services.

Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17052 on 14 August 2001.

Construction Industry

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all construction contracts issued by it, either solely or in conjunction with another body, specify that workers on sites must be employed rather than self-employed on construction-related work and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The form of relationship between contractors and their employees or subcontractors is in general a matter for the contractor rather than the contracting authority. The stipulation of labour status within public construction contracts could be open to challenge under European law on the free movement of persons, freedom to provide services and non-discrimination.

  The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is working on a Scottish Construction Health and Safety Action Plan and the Scottish Construction Industry Group is represented on the HSE Scottish committee looking at the health and safety and other issues involved. The issue of construction procurement and health and safety was also raised at my last meeting with the group, and I have invited it to submit a paper summarising its views to the Scottish Executive for consideration.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how its environmental awareness campaign was or will be launched, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive environmental awareness campaign, Do a Little - Change a Lot was launched on Wednesday 4 July. The First Minister, Deputy First Minister, Minister for Transport and Planning and I were joined on Calton Hill by environmental volunteers from across Scottish society to launch the campaign logo – a butterfly with saltire markings.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when and how the results of its survey commissioned in 2000 into environmental attitudes and behaviour, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive , will be published.

Ross Finnie: Copies of the survey report have been placed today in the Parliament’s reference centre. The main findings of the survey are also available on the Scottish Executive website.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive to whom the Scottish Environment Protection Agency reports; when and in what form it presents reports on its work; where any such reports are publicly available, and whether any reported information is not in the public domain.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is accountable to ministers for its performance. Ministers, in turn, are accountable to the Scottish Parliament for the activities and performance of SEPA.

  SEPA publishes its Corporate Plan and Annual Report and Accounts detailing performance against the targets agreed annually by the Scottish ministers. These documents are laid in Parliament and are accessible from SEPA’s website (www.sepa.org.uk). Copies are also available from Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no’s 14926 and 10087).

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what indicators are used to assess 100% compliance with international radiation limits at all nuclear sites, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive , and whether this target has been met.

Rhona Brankin: Scottish Environment Protection Agency carries out a regular check programme of environmental monitoring around nuclear sites. Results are published jointly in the annual report Radioactivity in Food and the Environment  (RIFE). A copy of the latest RIFE report is available in the Parliament’s reference centre, (Bib. no. 14600). To assess the effect of discharges, dose is calculated, at each site, for the group most likely to be most exposed, the so-called critical group. The dose to other members of the public at those locations will be smaller than that to the critical group.

  Thus the indicator that is used to assess compliance is critical group dose. A summary table of critical group doses due to discharges of radioactive waste is presented in the RIFE report. The table for the 1999 report, the latest available, shows that critical groups in Scotland received doses which were a very small fraction of the internationally accepted limit of one millisievert per year and were in no case more than 5% of that limit. The dose to other members of the public was of course even lower. Thus the target of 100% compliance with limits was met.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what stage the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has reached in implementing the phasing in of the new Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control Scheme, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: New installations, and existing ones that are being substantially changed, are subject to Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) controls immediately. Existing installations are being phased into IPPC on a sector-by-sector basis between 2001 and 2007. The main sectors transferring to IPPC in 2001 are paper and pulp manufacturing and cement and lime production.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional financial staffing resources are being given to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to take forward the implementation of Scotland’s National Waste Strategy, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: Additional grant-in-aid, totalling some £16.5 million over the three-year period 2001-02 to 2003-04, has been announced for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). The extra grant-in-aid takes account of the increased responsibilities and duties that will fall to SEPA in implementing European and domestic legislation and in fulfilling the Executive’s Programme for Government commitments. This includes the implementation of Scotland’s National Waste Strategy. No ring-fenced funding has been allocated for this, or any other, specific initiative.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what indicators are used to assess reductions in the length of seriously polluted rivers, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: The   Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) is responsible for protecting Scotland’s river quality. The agency classifies rivers based on an assessment of chemical, biological and aesthetic indicators. Chemical measures include measures of organic, toxic and nutrient pollution. Biological aspects relate to the sampling of the abundance and diversity of water borne insects. The aesthetic component refers to accumulations of litter or debris.

  On the basis of these three components, stretches of river length are classified annually as being:

  Excellent;

  Good;

  Fair;

  Poor, or

  Seriously polluted.

Environment

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to diffuse pollution, particularly from agricultural activities, which is considered to remain a problem, as stated in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive and its agencies gave a commitment in its recently launched strategy document A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture to a partnership approach for protecting and enhancing Scotland’s environment. The document identifies action to improve advice for farmers and finds solutions which are good for the environment and farming businesses. Steps include a working group to examine environmental issues which impact on farming, a revision of the Prevention of Environmental Pollution from Agricultural Activity (PEPFAA) Code, and support for the development of a CD-ROM on environmental management for agriculture. A copy of the strategy is available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 14550).

  The Scottish Executive is also sponsoring a research programme examining the impact, mechanisms and transport of agricultural diffuse pollution. Initial findings were published in the report Impact of Agricultural Practices and Catchment Characteristics on Ayrshire Bathing Waters, published in May 2001. It is available in the Scottish Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 13787).

  Based on this research, the Scottish Executive issued an advice note on the prevention of agricultural diffuse pollution at bathing waters to farmers in at-risk catchments on 20 July (Bib. no. 14970).

  To tackle nitrate pollution we shall be consulting with the farming industry in autumn 2001 on new Nitrate Vulnerable Zones and the required Action Programme measures. We are developing guidance and will discuss with the industry how best to assist farmers in complying with statutory requirements.

  To protect vulnerable groundwaters, farmers disposing of waste sheep dip and other agricultural chemicals to land are required to obtain authorisation from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in order to do so, under the Groundwater Regulations 1998.

  The agency also has powers to serve notices, relating to the storage, transport, handling and use of listed substances under the regulations. Notice can impose conditions on or prohibit activities where there is a risk of pollution to groundwater.

  The Scottish Executive will publish a sheep dipping Code of Practice later in the year for Scottish farmers, crofters and contractors. This will offer guidance on best practice to ensure dipping does not pollute groundwater.

  Looking to wider diffuse pollution issues, the Scottish Executive issued Planning Advice Note No. 61 on incorporating Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems into new developments (Bib. no. 14982), on 27 July. These systems deal in a natural, environmentally-friendly way with run-off from roads and car-parks. The technology also has a wider application, for example to farm yard drainage and septic tanks.

  Looking to the future, the consultation paper Rivers, Lochs, Coasts: The Future for Scotland’s Waters (Bib. no. 14576), published on 29 June 2001, as a preliminary to the introduction of the Water Environment Bill, makes suggestions for systematic measures to tackle diffuse pollution, and invites comment.

Finance

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of £30 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Enterprise and Lifelong Learning budgets and what impact this will have on the delivery of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning department’s priorities.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The net reduction of £30 million in the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning budgets occurs within the spending plans for the Students Awards Agency for Scotland and amounts to £10 million in each of the three years 2001-02 to 2003-04.

  This reduction will have no impact on the delivery of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department’s priorities.

  On new loans the budget makes provision to reflect estimated future write-offs for non-recovery and the difference between the cost of capital charge and the interest earned over the whole life of the loan. The data underpinning these estimates is reviewed on a regular basis. The most recent review indicates that the estimated provision should be at a rate 5% less than that previously calculated.

Fire Service

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the targets set by the Home Office to ensure equality in recruitment, promotion and any other aspects of the fire service apply in Scotland; if not, whether any equivalent targets have been set and, if so, by whom, and whether it will outline the details of any such targets.

Iain Gray: No. However, I launched the "Fairness and Equality" Guidance Framework for the fire service in Scotland on 18 December 2000. Copies of the framework have been made available at every fire station in Scotland.

  Since then the Scottish Fire Service Fairness and Diversity Forum have established a working group to develop an Action Plan for Scotland which will be adopted by all Scotland’s Fire Brigades. The detail will become available in due course.

Flood Prevention

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give a breakdown by (a) local authority and (b) scheme of the £5.248 million made available for flood prevention activities as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Rhona Brankin: The £5.248 million was made available for flood prevention activities as a consequence of the additional funds provided for in England and Wales following the severe flooding there last autumn. This additional funding, covering the period 2000-04, will be used to strengthen flood prevention arrangements in a number of important areas. Amongst the first of the initiatives being taken forward are steps to improve dissemination of SEPA’s flood warnings, a pilot project for detailed survey work to identify low lying coastal areas that may be susceptible to sea level rise and research work to better identify assets at risk from flooding. This work, estimated to cost £1.5 million, will be taken forward in parallel with the enhanced programme of flood prevention and coast protection schemes that local authorities are putting in place and will augment these efforts. Other follow on initiatives are also under consideration at present.

Health

Ms Margo MacDonald (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider implementing a scheme to provide computers for socially excluded groups such as disabled people and housebound women.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: We expect to publish a digital inclusion strategy early in the autumn and this will set out our proposals for tackling the digital divide.

Housing

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3541 by Ms Margaret Curran on 6 June 2001, how many Scottish Homes properties there are within each local authority area in the Central Scotland electoral region.

Jackie Baillie: There are 894 Scottish Homes properties within the Central Scotland electoral region. A breakdown of this number by local authority area is listed:

  


Council Area 
  

Scottish Homes properties within electoral 
  region 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

- 
  



Falkirk 
  

- 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

227 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

667 
  



Total 
  

894

Information Technology

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of £35 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Social Justice budgets, and what impact this will have on the delivery of social justice priorities.

Jackie Baillie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16746 on 27 July 2001.

Justice

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review the allowances payable to jurors in respect of childminding and babysitting.

Mr Jim Wallace: The allowances payable to jurors in respect of childminding and babysitting are set by the Scottish Court Service. There are no plans to review these allowances.

Justice

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where in the justice level 3 budget the savings of £30 million planned for 2002-03 and 2003-04 will be made and what effect these savings will have on programmes funded by this budget.

Mr Jim Wallace: The £30 million savings announced in the justice budget by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June cover three financial years, 2001-02 (£5 million), 2002-03 (£10 million) and 2003-04 (£15 million). These savings will be found from within two Level 3 budgets.

  Criminal Injuries Compensation - £6 million (£-/3 million/3 million)

  Miscellaneous – Other Miscellaneous - £24 million (£5 million/7 million/12 million)

  These savings can be delivered without compromising any of the services provided by the justice programme. On Criminal Injuries Compensation, the Home Office has projected a fall-off in the number of cases in the two forward years, thus releasing the savings identified. In the Miscellaneous category, the savings arise from unallocated provision which was previously identified to meet any costs arising from the incorporation of ECHR into domestic law. To date, this has proved unnecessary, as the provision in the areas directly concerned with ECHR, principally courts, police, prisons and Legal Aid, have had sufficient funding to cope with any increased costs arising from any challenges.

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether golf courses are envisaged as being land over which access rights are not exercisable in terms of section 4 of the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and, if so, whether it will detail which statutory provisions are applicable to access to such land.

Mr Jim Wallace: Under section 4(1)(e)(ii) of the draft Land Reform Bill, the right of access would not be exercisable on golf courses while in use. The public, however, would be able to continue to use existing rights of way across golf courses. Existing public rights of way are expressly preserved by section 3(2) of the Bill.

Mental Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in recording unmet needs of people with mental health in their care plans, as recommended in the Accounts Commission for Scotland report, A Shared Approach .

Malcolm Chisholm: All long-stay hospital transfers to community-based care should follow multi-disciplinary and multi-agency discharge planning where the continuing care needs are assessed and agreed. The individual and their carer where appropriate should of course be involved in these discussions. Guidance states that if for whatever reason an element of the service response to the continuing care needs is not immediately available no transfer should take place.

  On a wider area need level the Mental Health and Well Being Support Group published in March this year comprehensive guidance on approaches to Needs Assessment for a Comprehensive, Local Mental Health Service, a copy of which is held in the Parliament’s reference centre. That report sourced and listed 43 additional guidance papers on area and personal needs assessment in mental health. The support group, the Scottish Health Advisory Service, the Social Work Services Inspectorate and others continue to visit and report on the local agencies’ strategic and service responses to assessed needs.

Mental Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the total revenue received from the sale of psychiatric hospitals since May 1999 has been used to fund community care packages, broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: Generally, the proceeds from the sale of mental health facilities are not directly reinvested in mental health since the mental health service will have been re-provided through capital investment or resource transfer prior to the mental health facility being closed and sold.

Planning

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations for action set out in Annex 3 of the Third Annual Report of the Planning and Audit Unit 2001 have been implemented; if not, what the reason is for its position in each case and when it intends to implement the recommendations.

Sarah Boyack: The recommendations set out in Annex 3 of the Third Annual Report of the Planning and Audit Unit 2001 are being progressed as follows:

  Performance Statistics

  A performance monitoring database has been set up and is in operation. When it has been operating long enough to yield robust statistics, targets for improvement can be set.

  Consultation

  A system to advise planning authorities where consultations cannot be dealt with in 14 days has been set up and is working well. Setting a timetable for the consultation process is likely to be misleading and better communication with planning officers is suggested as an alternative.

  Good progress is being made with developing electronic communications, although technical problems remain.

  Progress on revising the consultation forms depends on planning authorities standardising their planning application forms to include the information required by the trunk road authority. This proposal was discussed with local authorities but there has been no formal response to date.

  Pre-application advice

  Applicants are encouraged to consult the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division (RNMMD) at the earliest possible stage to speed up the consultation process.

  The need for further planning advice

  It has been decided not to seek revision of the Town & Country Planning Scotland General Development Procedure (Scotland) Order 1992, but revised advice is contained in Planning Advice Note 40 Development Control. Consultants have been commissioned to advise by the end of 2001 on guidance on transport assessment for development proposals in Scotland. Together with the output of other research on key development sites and on achieving sustainable mode share, the research output will inform further good practice Planning Advice programmed for 2002.

  The need for further trunk road advice

  Route strategies are under active consideration.

  We have effectively achieved a one-door approach to the Operating Companies. A copy of the consultation form only is sent to RNMMD to enable them to monitor performance.

  Consideration is still being given as to how best to keep planning authorities informed of progress.

  A library of standard conditions is in use, and is subject to constant revision and updating.

  It is the view of RNMMD that the current wording of conditions complies with the law.

Prison Service

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether funds are available within this year’s budget of the Scottish Prison Service and its budget for 2002-03 that would allow renovation work to be carried out at HM Prison Barlinnie to end slopping out and, if so, what conditions will be applied to the use of any such funds for this purpose.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No, but funds have been made available to upgrade one hall at Barlinnie. The funds must be expended in accordance with the terms of the SPS Financial Policy and Guidance Manual which requires us to secure best value for money from this investment. The project was granted authority to proceed on the basis that it will be delivered, as scoped, in accordance with the agreed budget and commissioning timetable.

Prison Service

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what directions have been given to the Governor of HM Prison Barlinnie in respect of ending slopping out.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No directions have been given to the Governor. The options for ending slopping out in all Scottish prisons, including HM Prison Barlinnie, are being considered as part of the Estates Review which is currently under way.

Rail Industry

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is still its policy, as set out in section 1.5 of Strategic Priorities for Scotland’s Passenger Railway , that existing rail franchises should be replaced as quickly as possible with 15-20 year franchises to maximise private sector investment; whether its current intention is to extend the present ScotRail franchise by a short period of time or to re-franchise the service for a 15-20 year period; what its current target date is in either case for the re-franchising of passenger railway services, and whether its guidance and direction to the Strategic Rail Authority on these matters have been accepted by the authority and by Her Majesty’s Government.

Sarah Boyack: My first priority for railways is the re-letting of the Scottish passenger railway franchise on or before 30 March 2004 when the current contract with ScotRail expires. I intend to issue directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise later this year.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4255 by Sarah Boyack on 25 April 2000, whether it will provide an updated table to show the amount of public sector funding going into or contributing towards the rail network in Scotland which comes from sources outside the Scottish Assigned Budget.

Sarah Boyack: The table below shows the amount of public sector funding going into or contributing towards the rail network in Scotland and which comes from sources outside the Assigned Budget.

  Public Funding of Scottish Rail Network from Outwith Assigned Budget (£ million)

  


Year 
  

Franchise payments to ScotRail1,2


SRA Funds (RPP)3


Freight Facilities Grants from DETR3


Track Access Grants Payments from DETR4


Franchise payments to Virgin Trains (Cross 
  Country services)2,5


Franchise payments to Virgin Trains (West 
  Coast services)2,5


Franchise payments to GNER2,5




1996-97 
  
 
 
 

Contracts awarded to 1999-2000 amount to 
  £2.01 million. 
  

30.68 
  

5.83 
  

61.47 
  



1997-98 
  

135.98 
  
 
 

115.93 
  

76.63 
  

55.05 
  



1998-99 
  

130.90 
  
 
 

101.45 
  

70.21 
  

37.40 
  



1999-2000 
  

125.80 
  
 

6.46 
  

86.78 
  

59.06 
  

17.36 
  



2000-01 
  

110.22 
  

0.08


0.16


0.28 
  

79.89 
  

57.68 
  

 6.68 
  



2001-02 
  
 

0.41 
  
 
 

74.88 
  

57.75 
  

2.20 
  



2002-03 
  
 

0.18 
  
 
 

55.81 
  

(4.29) 
  

0.15 
  



2003-04 
  
 

0.15 
  
 
 

44.74 
  

(58.25) 
  

0.15 
  



2004-05 
  
 

0.06 
  
 
 
 
 
 



Total 
  

502.90 
  

0.88 
  

6.62 
  

2.29 
  

590.16 
  

264.62 
  

180.46 
  



  1. Franchise payments to ScotRail met from the Assigned Budget after April 2001.

  2. Franchise payments for 1995-96 to 2000-01 are the net outturn cash amounts paid to the private sector and include actual incentive payments and receipts. Future payments are contracted amounts restated in March 2001 prices exclusive of any incentive payments and receipts.

  3. RPP funding in 2000-01 relates to the re-opening of Beauly station, while funds from 2001-02 and onwards relate to Edinburgh Crossrail. Future SRA funded schemes and FFG will be awarded on the basis of individual application and therefore cannot be anticipated.

  4. Awards to 1999-2000 include freight services on the Scottish network. A separate breakdown for Scotland is not available. Each award is made on an individual basis and the duration of each project may differ. The amount shown is the total volume of the awards.

  5. The figures for GNER and both services operated by Virgin Trains are the total franchise payments. Amounts in brackets will be paid by the train operating companies to the SRA. Separate breakdowns for Scotland are not available.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimates are of all payments from the Scottish Office and the Scottish Assigned Budget to support the passenger railway network during each year of the current rail passenger transport franchises.

Sarah Boyack: The table below shows the amount of public sector funding going into, or contributing towards, the rail network in Scotland and which comes from the Scottish Assigned Budget during each year of the current Scottish passenger rail franchise.

  Funding of the Scottish Passenger Rail Network from the Scottish Assigned Budget (£ million)

  


Year 
  

Payment to the SRA1


Payment to Local Authorities (SPT area)2


Payment to Local Authority (Fife)3


PTF Rail projects4


PTF Interchange projects4




1997-98 
  
 

101.65 
  
 
 
 



1998-99 
  
 

93.80 
  
 
 

1.20 
  



1999-2000 
  
 

86.34 
  
 

0.73 
  

4.80 
  



2000-01 
  
 

76.59


1.12 
  

6.49 
  

0.27 
  



2001-02 
  

110.81 
  

73.86 
  

1.46 
  

10.06 
  

3.92 
  



2002-03 
  

105.23 
  

72.50 
  

0.81 
  

4.19 
  

4.80 
  



2003-04 
  

101.83 
  

72.50 
  

0.70 
  

0.40 
  

1.86 
  



Total 
  

317.87 
  

577.24 
  

4.09 
  

21.87 
  

16.85 
  



  Notes:

  1. Payments cover the contracted costs for the ScotRail franchise outwith the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Area (March 2001 prices). The figures do not yet include any changes resulting from the Rail Regulator’s review of access charges. Incentive payments or receipts cannot be anticipated and are not included.

  2. Figures between 1997-98 to 2000-01 are actual payments covering money paid by SPTE to ScotRail for railway passenger services, direct costs by SPTE and estimated payments for railway performance regimes. Figures from 2001-02 are estimates.

  3. Payments to Fife Council include capital funding and funds for rolling stock.

  4. Awards from the Public Transport Fund relate to local authority borrowing consents. Amounts to 2000-01 are actual figures while those from 2001-02 to 2003-04 are budgeted.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions before his recent announcement that Her Majesty’s Government favours renewing existing rail franchises for short periods of time only; what its response was to any such consultation, and whether it has amended its directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority in relation to passenger railway services in Scotland and the East and West Coast Main Line services in accordance with this policy.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions on a wide range of issues, including rail franchising. Directions and guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority for the next Scottish passenger rail franchise are a matter for the Scottish Executive. Advice on any new cross-border franchises will be issued when appropriate.

Rail Network

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect it anticipates extending the existing rail franchise for two years only will have on its strategy for increased investment on the East Coast Main Line and what proposed investment in rail services it expects to be deferred now that the existing franchise has been extended for two years rather than awarded for a period of 15-20 years.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive can give non-binding advice to the Strategic Rail Authority in advance of any new East Coast Main Line franchise, but does not contribute to investment on that line.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14378 by Sarah Boyack on 5 April 2001, whether the estimated capital value of the trunk road and motorway network as at 1 April 2001 is now available.

Sarah Boyack: The information will be available around the end of this year.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has subjected proposals for an A77 Maybole bypass to its New Appraisal Methodology and, if so, what the ratings are for integration, economy, safety, environment and accessibility, and what the summary of monetised cost-benefit measures is for both central and zero growth scenarios at the 1994 price base and at current prices.

Sarah Boyack: No. The Executive would expect proposals prepared around a decade ago to be reviewed using the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance issued on 30 July.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a need for improved road links to Turnberry Hotel and golf course to retain the course’s future Open Championship status, whether it intends to allocate funding to construct an A77 Maybole bypass in any future trunk roads budget and whether it plans to make additional resources available to South Ayrshire Council to improve related road links through and around south Ayr and north Carrick.

Sarah Boyack: The factors taken into account when considering a golfing venue’s suitability for the Open Championship are for the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Representatives of Turnberry have, however, discussed with officials from the Executive the integrated transport management plans being developed with South Ayrshire Council, SPT and the police. Those concerned are aware that the trunk roads programme announced on 27 March includes seven major improvement schemes on the A77 scheduled for completion by 2005. They also recognise that it would be inappropriate to anticipate in their planning what the trunk road investment priorities will be for later years.

  Following Spending Review 2000, an additional £70 million over three years was allocated to help local authorities address local roads and bridges issues. This formed part of the record three-year block allocation to councils announced by the Minister for Finance in December last year. The Executive has no plans to make additional allocations to councils. Decisions on spending priorities within the block allocations are a matter for the councils concerned.

Roads

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) the line of and (b) the indicative scheme for the A77 Maybole bypass meet current standards for road design.

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) the line of and (b) the indicative scheme for the A77 Girvan bypass meet current standards for road design.

Sarah Boyack: : Proposals for a bypass have not been tested against current design standards.

Roads

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has taken or will take action in order that the companies responsible for the maintenance of trunk roads ensure that staff employed by them or a sub-contractor are employed on a full-time basis and are not CIS4 holders and, if so, how it has achieved, or intends to achieve, this objective.

Sarah Boyack: There is no contractual obligation for the companies responsible for the maintenance of the trunk roads to have full-time employees except for key posts nor is there any requirement for those employed or sub-contracted to undertake work not to be CIS4 holders. This is no different to the previous contractual arrangements.

Scottish Transport Group Pension Schemes

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to write to all those who have submitted details of their service with the Scottish Transport Group informing them of the progress of their applications with regard to the wind-up of the Scottish Transport Group pension schemes.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive issued a pro-forma as a means of verifying current addresses and basic details of service with Scottish Transport Group companies. This information will be used to update pension records before any distribution of ex-gratia payments can be made. The Executive expects to bring forward its proposals for the Scottish Parliament’s consideration in the autumn.

Sustainable Development

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the 25 sustainable development activities which it will support and what form this support will take, as referred to in chapter 10 of The Scottish Budget: Annual Expenditure Report of the Scottish Executive .

Ross Finnie: At least 25 sustainable development activities will be supported through grants. These activities will include seminars, research, community projects and promotion/co-ordination activity. Already this year we have funded a scoping study on strategic environmental assessment and a seminar on satellite working offices.

  I am currently considering 70 applications for funding under the Sustainable Action Grant Scheme and will announce decisions shortly. I expect at least 20 activities will be funded in this way.

Transport

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to lower the male age of qualification for concessionary travel on public transport to 60 years of age to bring it in line with the qualification age for females.

Sarah Boyack: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-13592 on 23 February 2001.

Transport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will be represented at the next Bermuda II negotiations and, if so, by whom and what their role will be.

Sarah Boyack: Under the provisions of the Scotland Act 1998 international relations and matters concerning the regulation of aviation and air transport are reserved to the UK Government.

Transport

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the present railway regulatory regime is in the best interests of the railway industry and its customers in Scotland and whether it will make representations to Her Majesty’s Government to rationalise the regulatory regime.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has no functions in relation to the railway regulatory regime. However, the Executive is in regular contact with the Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions on a wide range of issues relating to railways.

Water Charges

Mr Murray Tosh (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive,  further to the answer to question S1W-6859 by Sarah Boyack on 7 June 2000, whether it will provide an update for the current financial year of the average combined domestic water and sewerage bills.

Ross Finnie: The average combined domestic water and sewerage bill for the current financial year for each of the three water authorities and for the comparable water companies in England and Wales are as follows:

  

 

£ 
  
 

£ 
  



Anglian 
  

261 
  

East of Scotland Water Authority 
  

237.21 
  



Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig 
  

270 
  

North of Scotland Water Authority 
  

278.23 
  



United Utilities Water plc 
  

229 
  

West of Scotland Water Authority 
  

201.00 
  



Northumbrian Water Ltd 
  

200 
  
 
 



Severn Trent Water Ltd 
  

203 
  
 
 



South West Water Ltd 
  

313 
  
 
 



Southern Water Services Ltd 
  

244 
  
 
 



Thames Water Utilities Ltd 
  

194 
  
 
 



Wessex Water Services Ltd 
  

245 
  
 
 



Yorkshire Water Services Ltd 
  

215 
  
 
 



English & Welsh Average 
  

233* 
  

Scottish Average 
  

228.82 
  



  English and Welsh data provided by Ofwat (reference – Water and Sewerage Bills 2001-02, March 2001).

  *Includes water bills by water only companies.

  Data for each company/authority derived from projected revenue divided by number of billed households.

  These show that bills in the West of Scotland are still amongst the lowest in the UK, whilst in the East of Scotland, bills are comparable with the average figure for the UK. North of Scotland bills, whilst higher than the English and Welsh average, are comparable to those companies serving largely rural areas with long coastlines and sparsely populated areas such as Dwr Cymru Cyfyngedig and South West Water Ltd.